The Friendship Duel
by RicardianScholar Clark-Weasley
Summary: Kagami has always been somewhat competitive and determine to succeed in her goals, so it probably shouldn't have surprised Marinette when Kagami challenges Alya to a duel for the right of being Marinette's best friend.


Kagami strikes an impressive and intimidating figure.

It was a bright and beautiful day as summer was valiantly fighting off autumn for one last blast of glorious sunlight. Marinette had been looking forwards to an afternoon soaking in the sunshine with maybe an ice cream or a cold drink as she focused on her new designs. It was a brilliant and much needed escape after a long, tedious, and emotionally draining day of Lila's lies and this sinking sensation that her friends were liking Marinette less and less each moment. Marinette had all but ran out of the school when she caught sight of Kagami standing tall and rigidly on the pavement before her.

Kagami was, _as always_, terrifyingly gorgeous and composed as she wore her white school uniform without a single thread or hair out of place. She held two sabres in one hand and a look of fierce determination etched into her face that made Marinette gulp loudly as she halted to a stop.

Kagami caught sight of her and instantly softened into a sweet, shy, smile. Her rigid posture relaxed slightly as a subtle warmth seemed to infuse her entire presence. Marinette beamed back before she hastily made her way towards the Japanese warrior.

Marinette had to remind herself sternly that she and Kagami were friends now.

It was easy to forget sometimes because Kagami had this stern, cold, way of staring at people that made Marinette feel like she was still the enemy. It wasn't _intentional_ and Marinette was beginning to get that (just as she was beginning to understand the creepy reveal of her teeth was Kagami's conscious effort to give a friendly smile and _**not**_ a threat to tear Marinette's throat out like she originally thought it was) but Marinette had always responded with over-emotional reactions rather than calm logic.

"_Kagami_!" Marinette cried out ecstatically.

She flung her arms round her new friend eagerly. Kagami instantly stiffened beneath Marinette's touch and remained frozen for the very awkward five seconds before Marinette hastily jumped back (they were still working on the hugging thing but Marinette was determined that they'll be on hugging terms before the school term was out). A tangent of apologies were on the tip of Marinette's tongue when Kagami flashed her teeth in her pained grimace of an effort to smile in reassurance.

"Your heart warming greeting is most welcome, Marinette," Kagami said in her usual cool detachment (though there was genuine warmth in her eyes and a faint tinge of blush in her cheeks that reinforced the sincerity of her words). "However I am currently armed and, as I am led to believe the correct popular culture reference is, _dangerous_ and it would be unwise to throw yourself at me in the future when I am carrying fencing equipment."

"_Oops_!" Marinette flushed and giggled at the same time. "I'll try to restrain myself in future but I was just so pleased to see you."

The faint tinge deepened several shades as it spread across Kagami's cheeks while a very small but incredibly pleased smile covered Kagami's lips. "I, too, am pleased to see you," Kagami said formally as ever.

"Do you have an extra fencing lesson?" Marinette asked. "I thought the fencing club didn't meet on Tuesdays."

She said that quickly and hastily crossed her fingers praying to all deities that Kagami didn't ask _why_ Marinette knew that. Any shred of their friendship would instantly go into the toilet if Kagami found out about that shameful schedule Marinette had in her room. Kagami might be bad at social interaction with her fellow teenagers but she wasn't _that bad_ to not know it was creepy as hell to have your crush's weekly schedule hung up in your bedroom.

"No," Kagami said blandly, "I do not have an extra fencing lesson."

"O-_oh_!" Marinette faltered slightly. "Are you here to see Adrien?"

Her voice was small and quiet as she touched upon the elephant in the room in her friendship with Kagami. They still hadn't fully discussed the fact that they both liked the same boy and whenever Adrien's name cropped up it still got _very awkward_ between them. It was something Marinette was determined to overcome. Kagami was an amazing person once you got past the icy facade and Marinette had _always_ treasured her friendships first.

Like the hugging, it was still a work in progress though.

"No," Kagami said calmly, "I am not here to see Adrien."

Marinette lit up at that. "_Oh_!" She exclaimed. "Would you like to go out and have another orange juice, then? Or maybe you would like to come over to my house for some snacks and hang out for a little bit?"

"I would like that very much," Kagami said, "however I first have a task to achieve and I am most determined to be successful."

"Erm," Marinette mumbled, feeling majorly overwhelmed and nervous all of the sudden as Kagami looked intense and unwavering in her resolution, "then I wish you luck with your task?"

Kagami glowed warmly at that. Her true smile more radiant than ever as her eyes sparkled joyfully. "Thank you," she said, "your blessing is all I require to spur me on to success."

"Erm..." Marinette said baffled. "Okay?"

It was on the tip of Marinette's tongue to ask exactly _what_ was Kagami's goal for today when Kagami's eyes narrowed onto someone behind Marinette and the swords-woman briskly walked past Marinette with her shoulders set and chin held up high with determination. Marinette turned round to follow Kagami and was horrified to see Kagami throw down one of her sabres in front of Alya's feet.

"Alya Cesaire," Kagami said loudly, "I challenge you to a duel for the right of being Marinette Dupain-Cheng's best friend."

"WHAT?!" Alya and Marinette screeched simultaneously.

Alya's eyes bugged out slightly at that as her cheeks flushed furiously and her mouth opened and closed rapidly like a fish. Marinette felt equally flabbergasted and embarrassed as she felt her own cheeks heat up quickly to match Alya's. It didn't help that most of their classmates and other students of the school had stopped to watch the spectacle either. Alix, Juleka, Rose, and Mylene in particular clustered round them with indignant expressions on Alya's behalf etched into their faces.

"I said," Kagami repeated flatly, "I challenge you to a duel for the right of being Marinette Dupain-Cheng's best friend. Was I not clear enough or is your hearing impaired? I thought _journalists_ were supposed to have good listening skills?"

She said the word journalist as if it was a dirty insult and Marinette couldn't help but cringe on Alya's behalf.

Alya puffed up crossly at that, her cheeks as crimson as her hair.

"_I beg your pardon_?!" She hissed furiously. "Exactly _what_ are you implying about my journalistic skills?!"

"I implied nothing about your journalistic skills," Kagami rolled her eyes, "I was, however, inferring that your hearing skills are sub-par which you have just proven to me to be correct."

Alya spluttered incoherently at that.

"But if you wish to take part in some trash talk, as I am led to believe most rivals partake in, I would say your journalistic skills leave much to be desired," Kagami continued coldly, "there are many articles lacking in context and research, your sources are rarely reliable or accurate, not to mention lacking in a secondary source to back your wild claims such as _Lila Rossi_ being the world's greatest superstar." Kagami rolled her eyes so hard at that that Marinette feared her eyes might fall out. "Then, of course, there is your blatant ignorance to Ladybug loudly declaring that there is no romantic relationship between herself and Chat Noir while posting inconsiderate, invasive, photos that lack as much context as your articles. I have had to stop following your blog as I have come to the conclusion that you are a bad journalist as you are a bad friend. Have I missed anything out?"

There was a long excruciating silence as Marinette squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bare witness to Alya's scorned fury. Marinette could practically feel the Alya's temper on simmering beneath her skin and shuddered as she tried to brace herself for what was likely to be the Akuma of all Akumas.

Alix was no help whatsoever either as she let out a long, drawn-out, impressed whistle. "Yikes," Alix grinned, "someone has got your number there, Alya."

Alya whirled round to face Alix just as Marinette opened her eyes (with a huge sigh of relief that no deadly purple butterfly of doom was to be seen at all today,_ thank God_!). "_Excuse me_?!" Alya snarled viciously. "Are you saying you agree with this...this...this _frigid ice queen_! She wouldn't know what a good journalism or a good friend was if it hit her in the face!"

"She wants Marinette to be her best friend," Alix shrugged, "I think she knows what a good friend is when she sees one."

Marinette blushed at the compliment.

She hadn't thought that Alix had considered her a good friend recently, what with the easily turning on Marinette the moment Lila blubbered out a few fake crocodile tears were any indication, and the fact Alix could so casually suggest that Marinette was still a good friend to her touched Marinette's heart more than it probably should.

(Marinette _knows!_ She's too weak and forgiving, but these people have been her friends since childhood! What kind of person was she, if she were to dump them because of _Lila_ of all people?! That would be, like, letting Lila _win!_ And it would be being a bad friend too! _And_ it would make Marinette a hypocrite! )

"And to be honest," Rose said a little nervously, "your blog has been going down in quality recently."

Marinette winced at that.

_Ouch_, that would have stung Alya a lot.

There was nothing Alya prided herself more in than her blog.

"I've been busy with Nino!" Alya protested weakly. "And I'm totally working on something **BIG **to do with the history of the Miraculous. I promise you, it is not as dire as _someone_," she levelled a murderous glare at Kagami (who merely raised an unimpressed eyebrow in reply), "is suggesting. I am _**not**_ a terrible journalist!"

"Maybe not," Juleka muttered, "but you are a bad friend though."

Marinette's breath caught in her throat at that as Alya jerked back as if she had been slapped, Kagami practically radiated with amusement, and Alix, Rose, and Mylene all started to look at the sky, the ground, at someone else, in order to avoid all eye contact.

"_I am not a bad friend_!" Alya said hotly. "I'm super invested in all of my friends and support them in their goals and dreams. There is _no one_ more supportive than me in ensuring Marinette's happiness _with Adrien_."

Marinette shrank into herself at the smug tone and superior smirk Alya shot at both Kagami and Marinette. She could virtually hear Alya's thoughts about how Adrien would forever be a wedge between Kagami and Marinette, and she could exploit that to win the argument. Marinette began to splutter and stutter as her cheeks heated up for the umpteenth time this day.

"I am well aware of what your support looks like," Kagami said completely unruffled by the mention of Adrien (Marinette wished she could be like that, _so much!_). "Steam-rolling your friend into confessing her love to a boy when she is not ready to is anything _but _supportive. I know about the incident in the wax museum," Kagami's eyes flashed furiously like they had when Marinette wailed-babbled about the incident to her over a much needed orange juice. "That had only caused _more harm_ to Marinette than helped. When the time is right, Marinette will undoubtedly make a beautiful love confession when she is ready and it will be remarkable and sincere because it was made in her own time, her own words, and _without you_ breathing down her neck for the entirety of her speech."

"Oh yeah," Alya said sarcastically, "I bet you'll be jumping in _joy _when Adrien and Marinette get together."

"I will support my friend no matter what," Kagami said staunchly, "and I will do it whole heartedly as nothing matters to me more than Adrien's and Marinette's happiness."

"Same here," Marinette smiled softly, "If Adrien chooses Kagami I will support her with my whole heart too."

Kagami returned Marinette's smile with her own shy, little, endearing one and Marinette's heart swelled up joyfully. Perhaps Adrien won't be the dreaded awkward elephant in the room for Marinette and Kagami after all. Hopefully they will succeed in obtaining and maintaining a strong friendship that no boy could ruin.

Marinette would like that, _a lot_.

She could really use a few more friendships like that.

"_See!_" Juleka pipped up crossly. "This is exactly what I meant. Remember when Marinette needed models for her website? _I wanted to be a model!_ I wanted to be a model _really bad _but when I froze out of fear and nervousness you totally steam-rolled over me and my feelings to push Marinette into the role and it got me _Akumatised_!"

"_That's not fair_!" Alya cried out. "Marinette agreed _willingly_, I might add!"

"Yeah," Alix snorted, "because you barely allowed her to say no."

"You were really pushy," Mylene mumbled nervously, "Juleka really didn't get a chance to say what she wanted to say."

"And," Rose said firmly, "it was brutally clear to everyone _but you _that Juleka was getting hurt being pushed out of the modelling."

"Marinette was just as uncomfortable as I was hurt in that situation," Juleka carried on furiously, "but when it was all over and done with she was the only one that bothered to apologise to me but _you didn't._ And _you_ were the one that hurt me and caused the situation to begin with! It was as if my feelings didn't matter in comparison to the possibility of you finally matchmaking Adrien and Marinette for once and for all! As if I was_ nothing_ to you! You know Alya, it feels like we're your toys sometimes!"

It was the most (and the loudest) thing Juleka had ever said and they were all stunned into silence for a moment as they warily took in the two bright splotches of anger in Juleka's chalky cheeks and her sparkling eyes.

"I..." Alya started indignantly, "well, you see..." she spluttered, "what I mean to say is..." and then almost instantly the fight went out of her as she crumpled into herself slightly, "I really haven't been a good friend recently, have I?" she asked sadly.

"The only times I see you outside of school nowadays is when you're dumping your siblings on me to babysit despite me telling you that I'm too busy," Marinette said dryly, "or when you drag me into a really embarrassing harebrained scheme to confess my love that only ends in humiliation for me _despite me telling you that I'm too busy_."

For the first time, in a really long time, it felt like Alya was actually _seeing_ Marinette. That she could actually see the bags under Marinette's eyes (which had grown so dark and huge that even _Chloe_ has thrown a few very concerned looks her way), and the hollowness of Marinette's cheeks due to her rapid weight loss (she never had the chance to eat nowadays), and the unhealthy paleness Marinette's skin took due to lack of regular sunshine.

Alya finally really looked at Marinette since probably the moment Lila returned to school and, judging by the sharp inhale of horror, did not like the fact that she had missed her friend clearly struggling.

Alya instantly ducked her head down ashamed.

"Oh," Alya mumbled dejectedly, "That's not really the behaviour of a good friend, is it?"

Everyone shook their head firmly.

"Alya Cesaire," Kagami said formally as ever, "you have admitted you are unworthy of the title of Marinette's best friend. Do you yield the title to me?"

For a moment Marinette had almost thought Alya was going to say yes (and boy, did Marinette have a lot of mixed up feelings about _**THAT**_ mostly consisting of hurt and sadness) but it was as if someone had challenge Alya to a Ladybug trivia competition as Alya lifted her chin up determinedly and a spark of a defiance lit up in her eyes.

"Oh _hell no_!" Alya ducked down and plucked up the sabre Kagami had thrown at her feet earlier. "I'm not giving up Marinette without a fight! She's my best friend!"

Marinette couldn't help but beam at that.

"_Yes!_" Alix pumped her fist up in the air. "Go Alya!"

"I too shall put my all in this battle," Kagami said solemnly as she lifted up her own sabre, "Marinette deserves nothing but my best."

"How do we decide the winner?" Alya asked as she shifted from foot to foot. "I don't know many fencing rules."

"First person to draw blood wins."

"Wait, _what?!_" Marinette shrieked. "Okay, _no_! No, no, no, no, no!" She pushed her self between both Kagami and Alya's sabres and pushed them away from one another (and winced as she felt exactly how sharp the blades were,_ Jesus Christ _was she the only one here with an ounce of common sense?! _She's supposed to be the flakey one!_ Not _Kagami!_). "There will be no blood drawing on my behalf! _And are those even legal?!_" Marinette asked shrilly. "I'm sure no one is supposed to bleed during fencing tournaments!"

"These were my un-blunted ones," Kagami's shoulders twitched into a near shrug of indifference, "I wished to prove to you that I took our friendship seriously."

Marinette spluttered incoherently at that.

There was seriously no words to be said.

_No words!_

"Oh _yeah?!_" Alya shouted. "Well I'm pretty damn serious too!"

"Only pretty?" Kagami said coolly. "Because I'm _deadly_ serious."

"Okay, _stop_!" Marinette snapped in her best nonsensical Ladybug voice (that she usually only had to use when Chat Noir was taking his flirting too far). "This has gotten way out of hand. No one will be fighting over my friendship today! Kagami, I'm seriously flattered that you think I'm worthy of a duel but I would rather have you out of trouble and no one injured"

"That is because you're nice," Kagami said pointedly.

The words_ too nice_ could be heard loud and clear but Kagami backed down respectfully just as Marinette asked.

"Thank you," Marinette murmured softly, "I know it doesn't seem like it recently but Alya is actually a really good friend...erm, well, at the beginning. She has actually supported me when I ran for class president and when I have actively attempted to confess to Adrien out of my own initiative. When we first became friends she was the _only person_ to stand up for me to Chloe," Marinette couldn't resist sending a very pointed stare at Alix, Rose, Juleka, and Mylene who had all stood by for years while Marinette had been bullied mercilessly. They all had the good sense to look sheepish and ashamed of themselves as Marinette turned back to meet Kagami's eyes. "She taught me that evil only triumphs if a good person does nothing and I aspire _constantly_ to be a person worthy of Alya's friendship."

"_Girl_!" Alya said softly as her eyes sparkled suspiciously with tears. "That's so _sweet_ of you! I don't deserve such a heart warming defence after how I treated you recently!"

"Oh Alya!"

"Marinette!"

They hugged tightly and Marinette felt every little uneasy feeling and big hurt wash away as their friendship felt just a little more concrete than before.

"But Alya," Marinette said firmly as she pulled away, "Kagami is a really good friend too and you should give her a chance. Kagami has been very patient and understanding with me despite her own romantic feelings with Adrien. She's incredibly brave too, and I aspire to be worthy of _her_ friendship too. I think if you give each other a chance, like Kagami and I had given each other a chance, you two would be good friends as well."

Alya and Kagami glanced at each other warily.

"You are a good friend, Marinette," Kagami said gently, "and I trust in your judgement. I would be honoured to get to know you properly Alya."

"Same here," Alya replied.

"_Excellent_!" Marinette exclaimed. "Then let's toast a new friendship with an orange juice! I have some free time and we should use that to bond with one another."

"Sure," Alya smiled as she looped her arm through Marinette's, "I'd like that."

"That sounds like a good plan," Kagami agreed as she gracefully linked her arm with Marinette's other arm, "let's put aside our silly squabbles and partake in some female bonding by having a heated debate on which nail polish colour is the best over a cold orange juice." Kagami then tightened her hold on Marinette arm as she leaned in slightly towards Alya. "I think clear nail polish is the best as I prefer to be _clear with my intentions_. A decisive outcome might not have been reached this afternoon but I haven't given up my battle on becoming Marinette's best friend."

Alya dug her nails into Marinette arm at that (and completely ignored Marinette's squeak of surprise and pain) as she bared her teeth into a vicious and downright terrifying grin. "Oh _bring it on_!" Alya said gleefully. "Because I'm not giving up without a fight either!"

Inwardly, Marinette sobbed.

(She was never going to get that peaceful afternoon, was she?)


End file.
